


Once Upon A Time

by allin_ev_itable



Series: Hurting Jimmy Campbell's Feelings [3]
Category: Bandstand - Oberacker/Oberacker & Taylor
Genre: M/M, domestic shit, hhhhhhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 15:58:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15710499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allin_ev_itable/pseuds/allin_ev_itable
Summary: Jimmy's so grateful to have Aaron in his life.





	Once Upon A Time

 Jimmy would never get tired of afternoons like these. Sitting on the sofa, his eyes skimming over his textbooks as the soft clicks of the typewriter across the room filled the silence in a calming way. The brief pausing when flows of words turned slow and required a moment to think about the next sentence, the page of his book turning as the margin bell rang out and a pause in clicking lasted more than a few seconds.

 “...What’s another word for ‘beautiful’?” The man across the room asked, glancing back at Jimmy with a focused expression. “There’s only so many times I can write it without filling the page with the exact same word.”

 Jimmy thought about it for a second, before setting his book aside. He knew what the man was doing. “Pulchritudinous.” He couldn’t stop the laugh that came out when Aaron’s face scrunched up in confusion, standing up and pulling a book off the shelf to give to him. “Try the Thesaurus out. Maybe it’ll help.”

 Aaron glanced at the book and made a face, tossing it onto his desk and gently grabbing Jimmy’s hips before he walked away. “What if I want  _ you _ to help me, and not some book?”

 “I think you’ll have way more luck with the book. You can’t distract the book by asking questions you already know the answers to.”

 “Ugh, but you’ve been reading for hours, Jim! Can’t we just take a break?” he asked, sticking his bottom lip out ever so slightly to tug at Jimmy’s heartstrings. He just couldn’t say no to him.

 “...Fine, but only for a few minut-” He didn’t even get to finish his sentence before the taller man pulled him into a kiss, making him completely forget about the book laying open on the couch.

***~***

“Sweetheart, what are you doing?”

 Jimmy quickly looked up and sighed, stopping halfway through assembling his saxophone. “I was just a little restless. You know playing helps.” He couldn’t completely meet Aaron’s eyes, not wanting to see the defeat at his setback. He’d been doing so well. The nightmares were less frequent, less violent. Both of them were getting closer and closer to a normal life. But even progress has its tests, and Jimmy knew tonight was one of them when he woke up crying from the dream of smoke and explosions blaring in his ears. 

 “I know, but I don't think playing at three am is going to make our neighbors dislike us an less,” Aaron tried to reason as he took slow, careful steps further into the living room so he took not chances in startling Jimmy. “Is it the same nightmare again?” A few seconds passed, and he took the man's silence as a confirmation as he took another step closer. He waited for him to set down the instrument before wrapping him in a secure yet gentle hug, kissing the top of his head just to add a hint of affection that added to the comfort.

 Jimmy took a deep breath to keep from crying, but he couldn't do a single thing to stop his well near violent shaking. The memories were just too clear, like the events had just happened now rather than almost two years prior. Two years, and Jimmy’s mind still couldn't get over it. He hated himself for it, for being so vulnerable and undeniably  _ weak _ . 

 Aaron stayed quiet for a little while, giving the man in his arms the opportunity to let out his emotions freely rather than bottle them up like he usually did. “You don't deserve any of this. I know you might think you do but you  _ don't _ . And I know that no matter how much I want to, I can't just take away all of your hurt and fear. But I know that I  _ can _ stay by your side through all of it, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.”

 Jimmy slowly managed a smile as the urge to cry dissipated, relaxing considerably in his lover's arms. The fear began to subside and soon after he felt like he could finally breathe again. “...Thank you,” he sighed, tiredly resting his head against Aaron's chest, who in turn pressed another kiss to the top of his head before speaking quietly.

_ “Starai bene, amore mio. Andremo bene.” _

__ ***~***

 This was the first time in two weeks that Jimmy didn't have either a class or a gig that day, and Aaron had a meeting with some publishing company. He had assured the man that he’d call if he was going to be gone for longer than a couple hours, but until he returned home Jimmy was left to his own devices. He decided to get some of the around the house work done, washing the dishes, sweeping, and lastly carrying a basket of clean clothes to the bedroom to fold.

 As he set the basket down, he glanced up at the pillows to see a folded piece of paper with his name on it. A quick second of confusion passed by before he picked it up, unfolding it to see Aaron's neat yet adorably messy handwriting. The man never used the typewriter when writing notes to him. He always said that hand writing it made it mean so much more. It was more romantic that way, and Jimmy never got in the way of Aaron and his tendencies of a hopeless romantic. 

 He took a seat on the bed as his eyes skimmed over the words, a smile not once leaving his face as he read.

 

_       Once upon a time, there was a boy who thought that love for him was impossible, a mere fantasy for the way that he loved. But one day he met another boy who was absolutely beautiful, and definitely smarter than he'd ever be. They fell so deeply in love with each other, and promised that, even though their multitude of situations were undeniably scary, that they'd always have each other. _

_       Now, as a man, I've grown so much with you and learned to be a far better person than I could've ever hoped to be. You've helped me through my awful days of writer's block, kept me calm when my rage would suddenly take over, and you allow me to never forget what it feels like to be so madly in love with someone. _

_       I know in this screwed up world that we can't get the giant happily ever after that I strive to write in my stories, but every single day spent seeing your smile and hearing your laughter fill the room is a day I feel like we've gotten pretty damn close to it. It may not be a public happily ever after, but it's one that I'm somewhat glad to have all to myself. I love you with all my heart, Jim. And I promise I'll always be here for you, no matter what. _

_ Forever Yours, _

_                                                                          Aaron  _

***~***

His eyes slowly opened as the silence in the room seemed to drown him, moving his head around to take in the setting. It was dark outside the window, the clock on his nightstand proving it was, in fact, incredibly early in the morning.

 “Aaron are you-” The sight of an empty spot next to him made his stomach drop, his heartache returning like a giant wave crashing down on him.

 Aaron wasn't there.

 Aaron was  _ gone _ , lost to the unforgiving ocean among debris and fire.

 Jimmy placed his hand on the vacant pillow, imagining a beautiful sailor subconsciously taking his hand in his sleep and pulling him close. That could've been their life. Their life,  _ together _ . 

**_But it seems the war had other plans._ **

_“...Non sto bene, amore mio,”_ Jimmy choked out through tears, genuinely feeling the familiar feeling of heartbreak ripping through his chest. _“Non stiamo bene.”_

**Author's Note:**

> ...Oops
> 
> STALK ME CORNER
> 
> Instagram: @allin_ev_itable  
> Tumblr: @allin-ev-itable  
> Twitter: @allin_ev_itable


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